When you consume fantasy media– whether it be a TV show, a book, or a manga– what do you look for the most?

To me, the most important aspect to fantasy is the world-building ability of the creator. How well am I immersed in the story? How am I able to see the characters as more than one-dimensional pawns for the progression of the plot?

In the recently grown-to-fame series, Dungeon Meshi, or “Dunmeshi,” as I will be calling it, very well.

Ryoko Kui does an incredible job at fleshing out almost every aspect of the world in which the series takes place. Each character has their own fears, flaws, and motivations. Every monster they encounter has some significance, a lesson to teach– as well as a delicious way to be cooked. 

Despite the incredible attention to detail, Ryoko Kui does something that many authors struggle with: control. By this, I refer to the way she sprinkles details about the world in ways that actually make sense, not information dumping. Have you ever been watching or reading something, and suddenly there’s a 5-minute explanation for something just thrown onto the audience? To me, this type of writing feels lazy, like the easy way out. Instead, Dunmeshi tackles world-building in a different way– maybe the main character goes on a passionate rant on one of his interests, or maybe through cultural clashes between two disagreeing characters.

It all seems so organic, giving us tidbits into the world the story runs in without getting too sidetracked. Even if you did want all the other details, the author has even made a whole separate book, Delicious in Dungeon World Guide: The Adventurer’s Bible, which just shows off the depth of her creation without affecting the main story.

Now, while building the world around the main cast is important, the characters themselves are also a crucial key to any story. Luckily, Ryoko Kui is just as skilled in this regard.

I would hate to spoil the story, but I would still like to demonstrate just how well-written each character is. Laois, the main character, is a shining example. While never explicitly stated, it is heavily implied that Laios is neurodivergent to some capacity. He has very specific interests– that being monsters and his desire to consume them– that seems to often weird people out. Laios also oftentimes struggles with figuring out social cues, such as other characters’ tones and attitudes towards him. Notably, in his argument with Shuro, an obviously Asian-inspired character. Due to his lack of social understanding, Laios ignorantly displayed microaggressions towards Shuro, and Shuro, most likely due to his more conservative upbringing, never explained or showed his dislike. This caused the clash between the two, and was very important to both characters’ developments.

Again, I would hate to spoil too much, but I would hate to pass up the opportunity to mention my favorite character, Marcille. (See: my fanart of her childhood version in the cover.) Marcille has a very specific fear– which I won’t reveal here– that pertains to her race, which I think is just incredible story-telling. Marcille is also a very flawed character– she makes many, many mistakes throughout the story, is most definitely not the strongest character in the party, and can sometimes be selfish and high-strung. However, she is incredibly loyal to the people she loves and would do anything to protect and save them. Despite her problems, she tries to prove her abilities and usefulness to the others at every chance. Her entire character serves almost as the audience’s perspective– something to relate to in a world that has such vastly different features than our own.

It is very rare that a series, especially a manga, strikes a chord in me as deeply as Dunmeshi has. In my mind, the checklist for an amazing reading experience has every box marked. It honestly has everything, even well-written humor to go with the progressively darkening plot. I really do think it deserves all the hype it has been receiving lately, and that I might’ve convinced you to also give it a read (or a watch, if you’d prefer the anime) as well.